British Airways cabin crew have rejected an airline offer to settle their dispute by two to one, bringing a renewed threat of strikes.
However, only about half the affected members of trade union Unite took part in the ballot. Union leaders are meeting with cabin crew representatives this afternoon to discuss what action to take next.
The union has threatened a fresh strike ballot that would be likely to see strikes resume in September following 22 days of action in March, May and June. But the union has seen support for strikes among cabin crew diminish over the course of several votes.
The latest ballot saw 3,419 crew vote against BA’s offer and 1,686 in favour, out of about 11,000 Unite members.
There appears a residue of bad feeling on both sides, with BA chief executive Willie Walsh heckled by cabin crew at the company’s recent annual general meeting and the airline moving to dismiss a cabin crew representative amid complaints by the union of victimisation.